A Civic Assembly brings together a randomly selected group of community members to dig into a big local issue. Over several days, they learn from experts, hear different perspectives, talk things through with one another, and create thoughtful recommendations for how things should change.

Participants are compensated for their time and trained facilitators help guide the conversations so everyone feels heard and supported. Learn more about the process of a Civic Assembly here.

This Civic Assembly will focus on the Urban County Charter. The Charter is like Lexington’s local constitution, and we are asking the question “What changes should be made to Lexington’s Charter to improve representation, trust, and participation in local government?”

Lexington’s Charter is an important document that sets how our local government works, impacting everything from housing and transportation to public safety and sewers. The Charter is a large document, so the assembly will focus on chapters of the Charter that determine how we are represented in our local government. The specific topics of the assembly are currently open to public feedback, you can weigh in here.

Nope! The power of an assembly comes from YOU bringing your authentic perspective and experience in our community. We take care of all of the education about the topic and process!

The group of 36 assembly members will meet in 6-8 sessions in March 2026, on the campus of Transylvania University (300 N Broadway, Lexington, KY). To participate, you cannot miss more than four hours of the assembly.

The session dates are:

• Sunday, March 1st, 12-6pm

• Tuesday, March 3rd, 5:30-8:30pm

• Tuesday, March 10th, 5:30-8:30pm

• Saturday, March 14th, 10am-4pm

• Saturday, March 28th, 10am-4pm

• Sunday March 29th, 10am-4pm

We also have two backup dates, in case of bad weather or if the Assembly needs more time. These dates are Tuesday, March 24th from 5:30-8:30pm and Thursday, March 26th from 5:30-8:30pm.

For a chance to be on Lexington’s first-ever Civic Assembly! As an assembly member, you will get:

• Paid $1,200 for your time and energy

• Childcare and transportation covered (up to $500) as needed

• All meals covered 

• All accessibility needs covered (including language access and translation, audio/visual assistance, dietary restrictions, physical accommodations)

• A chance to meet people from across the city and make new friends!

• A rare opportunity to directly shape the future of Lexington by helping decide how our community is represented in local government

Nothing! By accepting the invitation and filling out the application, you will be entered into a lottery process that will select the Assembly members.  The application is not binding, and you can always withdraw your name from the lottery. If you apply to the lottery, you will have about a 5% chance of being selected for the assembly, although it depends on how many applications we receive.

You MUST receive a postcard to apply. Any members of your household over the age of 16 can apply!

You were selected to apply by a random process - we sent 10,000 postcard invitations to 10,000 randomly selected households across Lexington/Fayette County.

CivicLex takes your privacy seriously. Here is how your information will be handled:

• Your application information is confidential. It will only be used by CivicLex for the purpose of administering the selection lottery.

• Your demographic information will be used to create representative panels during the lottery process, but your personal identity will not be shared during this stage.

• If you are not selected, all of your information will remain confidential and will never be publicly shared.

• If you are selected, CivicLex will publish only your first name and Council district in the public announcement.

• After selection, CivicLex will follow up to ask if you are comfortable sharing any additional information. You can decline.

• Application data will not be shared or sold and will only be used for administering the Assembly and evaluating its processes.

We aim to make this a trustworthy and transparent process, and protecting your privacy is a core part of that commitment.

Lexington’s Civic Assembly will have 36 community members chosen at random that match the city’s demographics across age, race, education, home-ownership and more. It’s like bringing together a mini-Lexington!

Stage 1: Random Invitation

CivicLex mailed 10,000 postcards to randomly selected households across Lexington/Fayette County. Anyone 16 or older in those households is eligible to apply.

Stage 2: Representative Lottery

Everyone who applies is entered into a lottery. This lottery uses a statistical process to ensure the Assembly reflects the diversity of Lexington, including:

• Age

• Race/ethnicity

• Gender

• Education

• Income

• Political party registration

• Geography (Council district)

We will build as many demographically representative panels as possible with the applications we receive.

Stage 3: Panel Selection

In January 2026, CivicLex will broadcast the selection of the final Assembly panel, and read off the first name and council district of each selected member. After selection, we will contact each selected member with more information.

This Civic Assembly is being organized by CivicLex, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit here in Lexington, Kentucky. Our mission is to strengthen Lexington’s civic health by helping residents understand local issues, connect with their neighbors, and have a say in the decisions that impact their lives.

CivicLex is completely nonpartisan, and we are funded by a combination of grants, donations, and contract work. You can learn more about us on our website, civiclex.org.

Any changes to Lexington’s Charter have to be approved by a ballot referendum (a chance for the entire city to vote for or against any changes). If the assembly decides on any recommendations to change the charter,  they will be reported out to Lexington’s Urban County Council. Council has committed to publicly receiving and responding to any recommendations the assembly will make. Council will also be able to vote whether or not to place the changes on the ballot. If the changes are placed on the ballot, they will have to be adopted by a majority vote in Lexington’s 2026 election. It’s a long road to change the Charter, but this Assembly is the first step in the process!

The primary role that Lexington’s local government will play in the Assembly is in receiving the recommendations. That said, we expect that current and former LFUCG officials will be asked to provide testimony and help Assembly members understand the scope of what Charter changes could mean.

Lexington’s local government is not funding the Assembly. CivicLex has spent the past year fundraising to make the Assembly possible with no local government funding.

Sign up to volunteer! Volunteers will make the Assembly possible. Whether you want to talk to people, walk around putting up flyers, or helping with event logistics, we’d love to have you on board! Fill out the volunteer form here.

There are many other ways you can get involved in Lexington’s first Civic Assembly - even if you aren’t an assembly member. You can:

• Attend the assembly in March of 2026: The Assembly will be open to the public, we will put more information on where to go as the Assembly gets closer!

• Sign up for updates: Get updates from CivicLex on the Assembly by signing up for our email list here.

• Donate: We are a local organization, doing this work for our community. And we couldn’t do it without the support of Lexington residents who want to help us make sure every voice is heard. Learn more about ways to give here.

Check out our get involved page for more updates.